The Pencil Test

The internet has a lot of confusing and conflicting information and for those of you reading my blogs (and I hope you do) I try to clarify concept and give my personal experience. The pencil test is one of those topics. Somewhere, sometime, someone on the internet declared that if you could hold a pencil under the fold of your breast your breast was too droopy, your implant too saggy or your breast lift was not good enough. If you can’t hold a pencil under the fold then you have what I call “gravity defying breasts”. There are two groups of women who have the gravity defying breasts; those women who have little or no breast tissue at all and teenagers where the skin has not yet relaxed. Any woman with a reasonable amount of natural breast tissues will eventually gain some droop. The skin relaxes over time as we age. Pregnancy, weight gain and weight loss can certainly affect this. But guess what. I think a little droop is a good thing. It is the sign of a mature, normal, and most importantly a natural looking breast. In heavier breasted women a breast lift or reduction will always regain some droop over time as gravity weighs on the breast that remains. The skin is smarter than the doctor. Skin responds to gravity and relaxes over time (thank goodness or my tummy tuck patients would never stand straight again). In fact in a breast augmentation a little droop tends to look more natural and hide the implant better. So as you read this please know that I spent my life in trying to improve upon or find a balance in the degree of droop. Too much droop and a breast lift and or reduction may be in your future, a little droop and some volume enhancement in the form of an implant may be the way to go. The key is to find the right balance. Contact my office with any questions or to schedule a consultation.